In Your Arms
by CobertForever
Summary: This is my first entry to the Cobert Christmas Challenge by GranthamGal ! Thanks for helping me edit it too! Enjoy!


Cobert Christmas Challenge

1935

Downton Abbey – Cora and Robert's Room - Morning 6:13 AM

It is early Christmas morning at Downton. The snow covers almost all of the fields and Downton itself. The fire in the fireplace died out during the night. The lack of fire makes the room colder this morning. Feeling cold, Robert slowly wakes up and shivers inside his blanket; he consider lighting up the fireplace and returning to his slumber, but change his mind when he take a peek at Cora who is sleeping so peacefully and oblivious to the cold. He smirks slightly and pulls on Cora's part of the blanket trying to get more warmth with the extra part and pretends to sleep again.

It is cold even with the blanket on, but Cora, whose blanket is now pulled away and left only in her thin sleeping gown, instantly wakes up due to the sudden chilly air around her. Her eyes are wide and she looks like a deer in headlights.

Robert, who can't hold back his mirth seeing her reaction, then releases a muffled chuckle.

"Robert! You are a meanie!" she said with her coarse morning voice. She then forcefully snuggles next to Robert, trying to take back her part of the blanket but mainly to be in his warm embrace as well. "You are a big meanie!" she nuzzles her head onto his chest and tries to fit herself inside his blanket. Then she ruffles his graying hair and strokes it gently.

Robert, who was pretending to sleep, flutters his eyes open and smiles widely. He put his arms around Cora, locking her in his arms, and whispers, "I am not a meanie; a meanie would not do this..." and then attacks her neck with tiny pecks of kisses.

Cora giggles and wriggles, trying to free herself. "Robert!" she manages to yelp before breaking into fits of giggles again.

"Robert, stop… or, or, or you can't have your Christmas Candy! No candy, Robert!" Robert stops his attack immediately after hearing the threat.

"Who is being mean now?" He stops and playfully pouts without loosening his embrace, holding her tightly in his arms and nuzzling into her hair, smelling her.

"Your pecks are ticklish, darling! I'll giggle myself to another life! My breath is shorter these days you know." Cora replies, cupping his cheek and smiling.

Robert looks down at his wife who looks back at him, smiling so lovingly. He feels that his heart is so full it could burst. He does notice the graying of his wife's hair; he knows it is silly but he felt a pinch of fear when he first noticed the greying lines. The graying is even more apparent these last couple of years. He does notice too that she has more wrinkles on her chin and the sides of her eyes. But she is still so very beautiful to him, and it's not as though he is not aging himself. They are both much older now. There is not much time. He loves her so much; sometimes he feels sad thinking what could happen when one of them is truly gone.

Cora notices her husband's sudden pensive look and she knows what he is thinking; she can always read him. She leans up and kisses him softly on his temple and then his cheeks and lastly a deep kiss on his lips. This brings him back to present time. They can't waste their time worrying about what will happen in the future.

Robert smiles and strokes her hair. He knows Cora can read him. He is an open book for her. So he is not going to think about aging. He is not going to. Not right now; not on Christmas morning.

"You are the most beautiful woman on Earth, Cora, I must have done something right in a past life to get to be with you in this lifetime."

"You don't have to be so sweet, Robert; you can have the candy later on, darling."

"It's not about the candy. I just wanted to tell you that," Robert says, smiling widely and kissing her forehead. "But getting to eat the Christmas candy is a good bonus."

Robert loosens his embrace and wraps the blanket back around Cora. Then he stands up, stretches his body, and shivers a bit.

"Where are you going? Come back here next to me. You will catch a cold." Cora's voice is soft, begging him.

"I am just going to light up the fireplace again."

"Ring the bell and ask the maid to do it."

"I don't want them coming here. I want to stay longer with you, darling." Robert says.

"Well… do it quickly then." Cora shakes her head playfully, pretending to disapprove.

Robert chuckles and quickly walks to the fireplace, throwing in some wood blocks into it and starts the fire again as quickly as possible. Once the fire starts, he pokes the woods until they burn properly and then runs back to his side of bed to put his arms back around Cora.

The warmth from the fireplace starts spreading around the room almost immediately. Robert exhales, satisfied by his good job.

"Are you still cold?"

"Not in your arms and your embrace…and with the fire." Cora snuggles on his chest, listening to his beating heart.

"So then may I eat the Christmas candy now, your ladyship?"

Cora strokes his face and plays with his hair.

"You can eat all of the Christmas candy in Downton, Robert, my fireplace hero."

Robert chuckles and kisses Cora's forehead.

"Merry Christmas, Cora."

"Merry Christmas, Robert darling."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"I love you more than more."

"Robert…that does not even make any sense," Cora says, leaning up to kiss his lips sweetly, silencing him before resting her head back on his chest.

Robert chuckles; he can feel Cora curling her lips against his chest, smiling and slowly dozing off. He brushes his finger against her cheek and touches her wrinkles. He never ceases to feel like the luckiest man in the world.

He sighs contently and takes her palm and kisses it. He strokes her arms softly, kisses her temple, and then closes his eyes. They can stay like this for all eternity, with her in his arms.

With that content thought, he slowly lets sleep claims him.

Fin.


End file.
